The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-29

For the Vacancy on the Supreme Benel
Cincinnati ENQUIRER

For the Vacancy the supreme Bench.
Cincinnati Enquirer
WASHINGTON, May 25.-I made inqui-
ries in an official quarter about the per-
sons i'm the Southern States who are
named for Judge Woods place on the
Supreme Bench.
Said my informant: THAT place
ought to go to Randolph Tucker. of Vir-
ginia, or Senator Morgan, of Alabama
Morgan is a close student, man of legal
mind, and he would crafty the South
and be good Judge"
what is the matter with Pugh?'
HE is substantial man, too, not as
much of a student as Morgan, and not
always as careful of his habits, but he
would make good Judge. Tucker,
however, Is expected by the Virginia
element He has had very little to do
with politics in his life. His politics has
been purely incidental, while he has
practiced law with assiduity and ambi-
ton. He is GA years old, and that is
said to- be to his prejudice at the White
House. The only man in Virginia men
toned in comparison with him is MIR.
Robinson, of Charlottesville. who has
been at the bar long time, and in cases
of the largest class which pertain to the
South. There are no other men in Vir-
ginia being discussed"
OTHER AVAILABLE soUTHERNERs.
Are there no good lawyers in the
Carolinas:"
Formerly there were some men at
the Charleston bar of high reputation.
At present / can think of nobody partic-
ularly. In North Carolina Is Judge Mer-
riman. once in the United States Senate,
but there is no one else there liable to be
selected. In Georgia there is little
talk about Mr.. Hammond. Not improb-
ably the President will put upon the Su-
preme Bench the Judge he made in Ten
nessee. Howell jackson. He is a fair
man. good lawyer, and it is perhaps
the safest selection that could be made.
Randolph Tucker would be the most
brilliant selection and give more social
and historical satisfaction to Virginia
than any other man. The circuit does
not embrace States like Kentucky and
Missouri, and if Cleveland should take a
man from anywhere but the South
proper at this time it would make huge
Indignation. Some think he would like
to reward some New York man, but L
do not believe he would dare do it, Sem
ator George, of Mississippi, is a good
man, though he may not be considered
i'm the light of a Justice by all persons
i am told that in New Orleans there are
two or three strong men. One of them
Is named Semmes, who came from
Maryland, and is of the same general
family as Raphael Semmes of Alabama
Another Is man with an unpronOunce-
able name, who was associated in the
law business with Judah p Benjamin.
lit Is contended in some quarters that a
man who goes on the Supreme Bench
ought to have "A wide range of practice
such as a city like New Orleans only af-
fords in the South. There is nobody in
Texas being mentioned for the place"
POPULAR ERROR.
l mentioned to another person close to
the Supreme Court the present condi-
ton of that bench and the change now
about to be commenced in its constitu-
ton.
Said he: There is a popular idea that
the law allowing Judges to retire at the
age of 20 means that they must retire,
and there Is "a certain pressure to get
them out when they attain that age
The law was not designed to make any
man, with good head on his shoulders
and good faculties, leave his situation
There is Justice Bradley; he has had
such experiences in all eases of patent
law, that it gives him no labor to look
through case of that kind when it
comes before him for adjudication. If
you were to retire him from the Supreme
bench he would probably die in year.
He has become at home i'm that place,
and there he ought to- remain a. long as
Providence lets him. The same is the
case with Judge Miller, who is probably
the ablest man on the bench He likes
the work, and takes up his cases with a
healthfulDess which insures his living
Judge Field is 20 years of age, but he
retains all his powers, and YOU could
find no man in the country to be- substi-
tuted for any of those Judges | have
mentioned and fill the bill -
AN OPINION OF JUDGE WOODS.
what kind of man was Judge
Woods"
Woods went through his work with
out attracting attention either i'm hOstil-
ity or much encomium, He was hardly
the kind of man to have selected for the
degree of causes which come before the
Supreme bench He probably felt some
modesty in that regard, and. therefore,
got through to- the time of his death in
the quletest way. Grant made him a
Circuit Judge, which was promotion
enough. Hayes took the Ohio view u
his opportunity, and appointed Judge
Woods as from Newark He has conse-
quently never been regarded in the
South as an exponent of that section.
Harlan. coming from Kentucky, disbars
that State from getting this place, which
Woods has left vacant
May not the President pick a Judge
from Southern Indiana contiguous to the
SOuth-some such man as Mcdonald or
Niblack!"
We'll, if he should do that YOU will
see the finest racket ever yet raised in
the Southern States